Do you have a recipe that family members and friends rave about at gatherings?
That recipe could earn you some cash in Leader Publications’ Holiday Recipe Contest, which has kicked off this month.
Home cooks of any age who live in Jefferson County, Eureka and Wildwood are invited to send in their favorite recipes to be entered in five categories: appetizer, soup, salad, side dish and dessert. Readers are welcome to submit a recipe in any or all the categories, up to a maximum of five entries per reader.
This is the 26th year the Leader has held its recipe contest.
Leader publisher Peggy Scott said she is looking forward to seeing this year’s contest entries.
The deadline for submitting recipes is 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.
To be eligible for the contest, entries must include the following information:
■ The submitter’s full name and address.
■ A daytime telephone number.
■ Complete instructions for the recipe.
■ The category in which the recipe is submitted.
■ Any information about where the recipe came from and why it’s special.
Judges will choose the top recipe in each category, and each of those five finalists will win $50 cash. Then, those five recipes will be prepared and served at the Leader Holiday Dinner, set for Friday, Dec. 13, at the Viking Room at Jefferson College in Hillsboro. Those who attend the dinner will vote for their favorite of the five dishes, and that winner will receive an additional $250.
Recipes that are family favorites, that use ingredients in novel ways or that have a history or story attached are preferred. Recipes taken directly from websites or cooking shows will not score well.
Since the dinner’s inception in 2014, it has been a collaboration between the college and Leader Publications and has raised about $26,000 for the Jefferson College Foundation. The money typically is used to send students to culinary competitions.
The winning recipes and as many more as space permits will be published in a Holiday Recipe and Gift Guide special section in the Nov. 27 Leader.
Recipes may be submitted by email at news@myleaderpaper.com; by mail at P.O. Box 159, Festus, 63028; or in person at 503 N. Second in Festus.
Tickets for the dinner are scheduled to go on sale Oct. 10.
Read about last year's contest and Leader Holiday Dinner:
To view the recipes prepared at the dinner, click here: